About Dining Abode

From the inception of dining abode, my aim has always been to marry exceptional food, sophisticated service and client connection - executed with warmth and effortless elegance

What We Do

Established in 2009 the dining abode team serve more than just food, we are experts in event management. Working across Sydney and beyond, we partner with trusted venues and companies, which include design led marquees and structures.

We deliver refined, restaurant-quality catering experiences designed for private, corporate and wedding occasions throughout Sydney and NSW. We bring together planning, styling, food, and hospitality to deliver grand events.

Whether it be an intimate dinner sharing menu for 12 guests or a large scale corporate event or wedding, the dining abode team set out to develop an understanding of the specific ideas and needs of each client to design events and menus that not only meet, but exceed expectations.

With corporate partnerships including Spotify, Bonds, Kia, Mirvac, Asics and Lindsay House, we make every event and wedding an occasion to remember.

“Thomas and the Dining Abode team were the dream addition to cater our wedding. The food was delicious, looked amazing and the service was phenomenal. We could not have imagined a more perfect way to celebrate with our family and friends and could not recommend Dining Abode more highly”

Sophie-Deven Brown-Rajah

Thomas Johns – Director

High-quality food and exceptional service has always been Thomas’ passion. Formerly the executive chef/owner of Pello Restaurant in East Sydney, Thomas received two prestigious ‘Chefs Hats’ by the SMH Good Food Guide and was awarded Best European Restaurant, in the Restaurant & Catering Awards, NSW.

Thomas has also been featured in numerous publications such as Good Living, the Sydney Magazine, Gourmet Traveller, Vogue Entertaining, Delicious and House and Garden. Thomas has also made appearances on television programs such as the Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia, Sydney Weekender, Fresh and Signature Dish and also featured in a SMH article titled, ‘Top ten chefs to look out for’.

The Dining Abode concept was born from Thomas’ vision to bring his many years of fine dining experience and expertise to the world of catering and events. Over time, it has evolved into one of Sydney’s leading wedding, events and catering companies.

From Fine Dining Restaurant to Bespoke Catering

Great experience working with Dining Abode

The Trish Nicol Agency engaged Thomas John’s Dining Abode for the launch of a photographic exhibition in Bondi. His attention to detail was fantastic and his ideas and solutions for catering options were perfect considering the different mix of people he had to cater for (including Buddhist Monks from Tibet). He has a great team and his supervisor, Rochelle, was a pleasure to deal with. I have no hesitation in recommending Thomas and his superb team. They are one of our preferred suppliers.

5 Stars for Dining Abode for corporate catering

I was recommended Thomas at Dining Abode by Natalie & Simon at Sydney Picnic Co. From the very beginning I knew Dining Abode would be the right choice for my unique corporate function with the guest list being mostly Executive Women. Thomas immediately put me at ease in ensuring the event would be a success. He took the time out to come to the office to view the function space and sat down with me to work through a suitable canapés menu. Thomas and his team organised everything from glassware, to serving platters to even the wait staff. The day of the event, Thomas and his Chef produced amazing food. The taste, presentation and attention to detail was second to none. The wait staff were all friendly, polite and presented well which were important factors for this particular corporate event. I would highly recommend Thomas and his team at Dining Abode for any corporate function especially for high end events where you need to impress and give the big wow factor. Thanks Dining Abode!

Beautiful food, wonderful service, great experience

We engaged Dining Abode to cater our wedding and couldn’t recommend them highly enough. We approached numerous other caterers but were delighted by Thomas’ friendly, professional and attentive service. He asked all the right questions to understand exactly what we were looking for and tailored a package to suit our needs and tastes. We were then introduced to Rochelle whose advice on sourcing, logistics and styling was invaluable. On the day, the team of waitstaff, lead by Rochelle, were friendly and efficient and the food was presented beautifully and (most importantly) tasted amazing. On the night and since the event, we’ve had so many positive comments from guests about both the food and the service. We have no hesitation in recommending Dining Abode to anyone looking for a high quality caterer.